Running 7:34:11 [4] 55.29 km (8:13 / km) +4127m 5:59 / km
slept:3.0
V3K Skyrace, aka Welsh 3000s. 1st equal with Gareth Hughes after spending pretty much the whole race together. I've always wanted to run the Welsh 3000s and this race provided the perfect opportunity.
It was a bloomin' early morning though, with a 4am bus departure for the start after a late night stuck in traffic en route. I had recce'd a 24 hour petrol station with a Costa machine for an early morning fix, but when I rocked up at 3.30 the machine was being cleaned. Disaster! All in all, I wasn't feeling my best when we set off up Snowdon at 5am.
I had no idea what the quality of the field would be like, but I was surprised when Gareth (who I didn't know - turns out he's quite handy) went out hard on the lower slopes. I decided to go with him and make the most of the company. Things calmed down once we hit the steeper ground and we chatted a bit, enjoying the rare chance to experience this mountain in the early morning without the crowds. I was a bit nervous about Crib Gogh (it was my first time), but Gareth knew it very well, so I made the most of his local knowledge and enjoyed the scramble. As it was, it looked much harder than it was, particularly in dry conditions. The scree descent was fun, but we lost the markers a bit after that and split up, so I ended up trailing by 100m or so on the road section to Nant Peris.
A quick refuel before the second major climb to Elidir Fawr. I had my work cut out here to narrow the gap, so ran much of the climb, which may not have been a great idea in retrospect. Hit the summit together again and joined forces for the next section over the Glyders. Again, much of this was new to me and I was amazed by the jagged rocky landscape, which looked like a kind of slate-grey version of Krypton. Tryfan loomed in the distance like an inaccessible pinnacle, but again, Gareth knew a decent way up. Still, we were slower than I had expected across here, the terrain just being so unforgiving and treacherous.
Another (longer) refuel at Ogwyn and we set off together up the final big climb to Ole Wen. Not much running going on once we hit the steep stuff and the climb seemed to go on forever. I was in front but Gareth was matching me pace for pace and there was nothing I could do to get a gap. This continued along the ridge in a kind of comedy slow-motion race.This was the low point for me and I was seriously wondering whether I was going to make it over 20km to the finish. But Yr Ellen and Carnedd Llewelyn came and went and I started to feel better again. I picked the pace up from here, hoping that I might be able to get a gap, but by the final summit of Foel Fras we were both still together. The pace remained good for the long descent to the roman road, where we decided to finish together. It had been a team effort for most of the day, so a tactical skirmish for the line just seemed inappropriate. It was nice to have a race car to pace us in from there, but the last steep descent on asphalt down into Rowen was horrible.
I really enjoyed the race, more for the personal challenge than for any competitive reasons. It was the longest in distance, time and ascent that I have ever run and I was pleased to have no problems with energy or cramping and to finish strongly. Also to beat the old record for the race by almost 45 mins. The weather was really kind, although hotter and muggier than expected, so drinking enough was one of the biggest challenges. The race was really well organised and the vegan banquet at the finish was probably the best post-race food I have had. Definitely one to come back to now that I know the route.